If you spent the $20-$30 needed to attend today’s game as a spectator, you would’ve walked away having gotten your money’s worth.
It was a back and forth battle at Hohokam Stadium! The White Sox got to A’s starter Jeffrey Springs early, in the first inning Edgar Quero and Lenyn Sosa would do some damage. A run scoring single and a double between the two would give the South Siders a 3-0 lead before the A’s even picked up a bat.
That 3-0 lead would be short lived though. In the bottom half of the first, the A’s answered right back with a an RBI double and single of their own – – thanks to Brent Rooker and Jeff McNeil.
After a quiet second inning for both clubs, the White Sox would strike – – three times – – all off of one swing by Korey Lee. Miguel Vargas and Jarred Kelenic both scored on the dinger. Springs would not return for the fourth inning. His day ends with the troubling line of 2.2 IP, 4H, 6ER, 3 BB, and 3K :/
Tough day for the A’s southpaw but us fans have grown custom to poor pitching performances by our starting pitchers this spring.
Thankfully the offense has been cartoonishly hot. Three solo home runs by Brent Rooker, Nick Kurtz, and Shea Langeliers had the game all tied up by the end of the fourth inning. That lead, however, would be short lived thanks to a Derek Hill RBI single off of Mark Leiter Jr. in the top of the fifth.
That would be the last of the offensive damage for the White Sox. They’d carry that 7-6 lead up until the bottom of the seventh, where the Non-roster trio of Tommy White, Michael Stefanic, and Cade Marlowe tied it all up, leading to a Jared Dickey single that brought Stefanic and Marlowe home, making it 9-7 A’s.
For good measure, the A’s tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the eighth. Tommy White’s single scored Leo De Vries, who just missed a home run. White would then be brought in on a Cade Marlowe fielder’s choice.
Final score sits 11-7, A’s over the White Sox. They’ll be back at it against the Arizona Diamondbacks tomorrow. Right now, the pitching matchup is scheduled to be Luis Morales vs. Ryne Nelson. This’ll be Morales’ fourth outing so far this spring. Let’s hope he can build off of the small flashes of success he experienced last week against the Angels.
For those of you tuning in to tonight’s USA vs. Team Italy WBC game, feel free to keep the conversation going below!
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